TransCelerate BioPharma Inc. Names Annalisa Jenkins as Chair of Its Board of Directors

PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TransCelerate BioPharma Inc. ("TransCelerate") today announced the appointment of Annalisa Jenkins, MBBS, MRCP, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Research and Development at Merck Serono (biopharma division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), as Chair of its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dr. Jenkins, who previously served as a member of the Board of Directors, will work closely with TransCelerate CEO Dr. Dalvir Gill to further the organization's goal of helping the industry expedite the delivery of more high quality medicines to patients. Dr. Jenkins will succeed Paul Stoffels, MD, who had served as the interim Chairman of the Board.

"I am very pleased to serve as the Chair of TransCelerate's Board of Directors and look forward to continuing to advance our mission of identifying and solving common drug development challenges," said Dr. Jenkins. "In 2014, our organization is poised to achieve a number of significant milestones that will improve clinical trials processes, ultimately enabling the industry to bring innovative new medicines to the public faster. I look forward to working with the dedicated and committed representatives of the TransCelerate member companies as we harness the power of collaboration to achieve our goals."

Dr. Jenkins joined Merck Serono in 2011. She previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). During her tenure at BMS, she made significant contributions to the globalization of Medical Affairs, assisted in advancing a number of the key pipeline programs and was responsible for the execution of a number of strategic transactions.

"We owe tremendous thanks to Dr. Stoffels for his guidance and insight in helping to steer the organization during its formation, as well as his role in appointing Dr. Jenkins to the role of Chair of our Board of Directors," said Dalvir Gill, PhD. "We are thrilled to elevate Annalisa to this new role. Her proven leadership, both at Merck Serono and on our Board, makes her a natural fit for this position and will build on the excellent foundation Paul and others have helped us to create."

Dr. Jenkins began her career as a Medical Officer with the British Royal Navy, and served with the Minesweeper Squadron during the Gulf conflict, rising to the rank of Surgeon Lieutenant Commander. She graduated in Medicine from St. Bartholomew's Hospital London and trained in Cardiovascular Medicine in the UK National Health Service.

"It was my honor to serve as the interim Chair while we worked to fill the role on a permanent basis," said Paul Stoffels, MD, Chief Scientific Officer and Worldwide Chairman, Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson. "Dr. Jenkins is a respected industry leader who will ensure that TransCelerate will continue developing solutions that benefit the organization's key stakeholders."

TransCelerate BioPharma Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of people around the world by accelerating and simplifying the research and development (R&D) of innovative new therapies. The organizations' mission is to collaborate across the global biopharmaceutical R&D community to identify, prioritize, design and facilitate implementation of solutions designed to drive the efficient, effective and high quality delivery of new medicines. TransCelerate evolved from discussions at various forums for executive R&D leadership to debate current issues facing the industry, and examine solutions for addressing agreed-upon common challenges. The founding member companies are AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, the Roche Group, and Sanofi. Additional members that have joined since the inception of TransCelerate include Allergan, Inc., Astellas Pharma Inc., Biogen Idec, Cubist Pharmaceuticals, EMD Serono, Inc. (a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), Forest Research Institute (a subsidiary of Forest Laboratories, Inc.), Medgenics, Inc., Shionogi & Co., Ltd. and UCB.

Membership in TransCelerate is open to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with Research & Development operations. Executive offices are located in Philadelphia, PA. For more information, please visit http://www.transceleratebiopharmainc.com.